Exploring
Contemporary Japan
Be more than a tourist! Discover the dynamic culture and society of Japan while learning about its rich cultural traditions and Japanese language!
- Experience the active life of a Japanese college student
- Live with a Hiratsuka family for a week
- Study Japanese under experienced Japanese language teachers in a small class setting
- Experience the history of one of the world’s most ancient, yet most progressive countries in the world by visiting ancient Japanese temples and shrines and towering Tokyo skyscrapers
Explore contemporary Japan while learning Japanese and earning university credit. Highlights of this academic program include:
- Classes held on the campus of Kanagawa University. Extensive opportunities for interaction with Kanagawa University students are provided through our well-established “buddy” program in which each visiting student is matched by shared interests with three Kanagawa University students.
- Opportunities to practice your Japanese language skills with Kanagawa University students and with your home-stay family.
- Enrichment of your Japanese language skills through classroom instruction, campus activities, and exploration of the cities of Hiratsuka, Kamakura, Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima.
The Program
This five-week program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The program’s home base is Hiratsuka, Japan, a medium-sized city (pop. 257,000) located 50 miles southwest of Tokyo on the coast of Sagami Bay. Hiratsuka is near the historic city of Kamakura and the majestic Mount Fuji.
The
Contemporary Japan program consists of two components:
Language instruction and lectures in English about Japanese culture and
society on Kanagawa University campus
Most mornings are devoted to language instruction or language study oriented field work. Afternoons are spent in lectures or discussions with Kanagawa University faculty and the KU Program Director or on field trips to nearby cities or within the city of Hiratsuka. Lectures are given by the faculty in sociology, international relations, anthropology, and business.
Cultural Fieldtrips
Fieldtrips include the following: seeing a kabuki play with English translation, visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and its war museum, touring shrines in Kamakura, visiting various municipal facilities in Hiratsuka such as a high school, the recycling center and City Hall, touring temples and shrines in the ancient capital Kyoto during a three night excursion, visiting the Peace Park and Peace Museum in Hiroshima and enjoying the Tanabata Festival in Hiratsuka, one of the biggest in Japan.
Program Director
Dr. Sanae Eda, Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of Kansas and Japanese native, has over fourteen years of experience teaching Japanese language. She has earned a M.A. and a Ph.D. in Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy from Ohio State University. Dr. Eda taught at Middlebury College Japanese Language School for eight summers between 1994-2004 and served as a Assistant Director of the Japanese School in 2004. She has taught Japanese at the University of Kansas since 2004 and researches linguistically issues of Japanese second language acquisition. She directed the Hiratsuka summer program in 2007. Japanese language instruction will be given by a KU Japanese Graduate Teaching Assistant and Japanese language instructors hired through Kanagawa University.
Courses Offered
All students will enroll in two 3-credit hour courses: Contemporary Japan, and either Intermediate or Advanced Japanese in Context.
JPN 100 Beginning Japanese (3 credits) This class stresses the basic vocabulary and structural patterns of the language needed to navigate daily life in Japan. Students also learn to read hiragana and katakana, and some essential Japanese characters.
JPN 226/326 Intermediate/Advanced Japanese in Context
(3 credits) Practice and improvement of language skills in classroom lessons and through direct experience in interviews and guided practical applications on campus and in Hiratsuka City.
EALC 350/590 Exploring Contemporary Japan (3 credits)Japan remains a beguiling mixture of old and new as it faces accelerating changes prompted by the economic challenges of globalization. Due to economic restructuring Japan has recovered from the recession of the 1990s, and ordinary people are finding that society offers less security but more freedom.
Through lectures and field trips we will examine the changing dynamics of various institutions in Japan: business and industry, education, the family, politics, transportation, religious practice, etc.
In addition to the traditional academic work of attending lectures and reading textbooks, students will conduct individual study projects. Possible topics include business practices, education, environmentalism, gender roles, popular culture, sports, religion, technology, etc. Course requirements include active participation in the classroom and on field trips, and both an oral and written report of the results of the independent study topic.
Course textbooks (tentative)
Isami’s House: Three Centuries of a Japanese Family, Gail Lee Bernstein
An Introduction to Japanese Society, Yoshio Sugimoto
Japan, Why It Works and Why It Doesn’t, James Mak
Accommodations
Participants will spend four weeks in Hiratsuka’s municipal guesthouse, located within a spacious city park complex not far from downtown. Guesthouse amenities include athletic stadiums, a gymnasium with a swimming pool, a Japanese garden, jogging areas, tennis courts, and a small zoo. Students will spend one-week in a home stay. Breakfasts at the guesthouse are included in the program cost. Students will purchase lunches on campus and dinners at local restaurants.
Dates
Depart US: Monday, June 1, 2009
Arrive Japan: Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Depart Japan: Monday, July 6, 2009
Eligibility
Open to undergraduate and graduate students from any accredited U.S. college or university. No previous Japanese training is required. Minimum 2.50 GPA required (exceptions considered only after submission of a petition).
Credit
Six hours of academic credit are granted by the University of Kansas upon successful completion of the program.
Cost
Program Fee: Approximately $3,790 ($3,990 for non-KU students). The program fee includes accommodations in Hiratsuka and during excursion in Kyoto, breakfasts, program cultural activities, local transportation, several group dinners, KU orientation, and emergency medical evacuation and repatriation services.
Tuition and Fees:Estimated tuition and fees for 6 credit hours (based on standard tuition rate): $1,239*
*Actual expenses for KU students will vary by the student’s individual tuition compact. Non-KU students will pay the standard tuition rate listed above.
Additional costs: Airfare, lunches, dinners, passport fee, textbooks and personal expenses.
Note
All dates, costs, and program information are subject to change as necessary due to fluctuations in the exchange rate or other reasons.
Financial Aid
KU students who qualify for summer financial aid in the form of Stafford and/or other loans, Pell or SEOG Grants, and scholarships may apply the aid to the cost of a Study Abroad Program.
Limited supplemental scholarships are available to KU undergraduates. Applications are available at the Office of Study Abroad. You can also download the scholarship application. The scholarship application deadline is March 1.
Non-KU students should check into the financial resources available to them at their home institutions.
Application Procedures
Final Application Deadline: March 1, 2009
Application forms are available from the KU Office of Study Abroad. You can also download the application. All application materials are to be returned to the Office of Study Abroad no later than March 1.
(Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to download an application. If your computer does not have Acrobat Reader you can download it for FREE.)
For more information contact:
The University of Kansas
Office of Study Abroad
Lippincott Hall
1410 Jayhawk Blvd. Room 108
Lawrence, KS 66045-7515
phone: 785-864-3742
fax: 785-864-5040
e-mail: osa@ku.edu
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